Here’s the question, how long do keurigs last?
While costing more, Keurigs last longer than the majority of other automatic coffee makers. Broadly speaking, you can expect to get between 3-5 years from your assuming you regularly maintain and clean it, a Keurig. Instead, you should think about using a manual brewer if you want to get the most value for your money. Even though you will have to put in more work each day to make your coffee, you will ultimately save a lot of money.
Ultimately, whether you want to save money or time will determine which machine is best for you. Although it will cost slightly more than the average coffee maker and you’ll still need to replace it in five years, a Keurig will make brewing your morning coffee quick and easy.
Please read on.
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How Long Do Keurigs Last?
The average lifespan of Keurig machines has been determined at 3-5 years. This is not to say that there aren’t any Keurig machines out there that have a ten-year or longer lifespan, of course.
Everything depends on how you handle your machine once you own it; I’ll go into more detail about this later.
You will also find that when you buy a Keurig coffee maker, it will be accompanied by a mechanical warranty. This means that if there is a mechanical problem covered by the warranty, you can return it to the manufacturer for a free repair or a replacement.
The mechanical warranty on the majority of Keurig coffee makers lasts for about a year. Please be aware that coffee maker warranties can occasionally differ from seller to seller.
Check with the manufacturer if the warranty on your Keurig coffee maker is less than a year. It is best to purchase your Keurig coffee maker elsewhere if you are not satisfied with their explanation or if they refuse to give you the full year of warranty.
Does A Keurig Wear Out?
Your Keurig automatic coffee maker will eventually wear out, just like any other kitchen appliance. How frequently you use and maintain your Keurig will determine how long it lasts, among other factors.
Some users claim that their Keurig lasts for around ten years before it wears out, while others claim that it only lasts for about three years. Your Keurig should last three to five years on average before it starts to become worn out.
Your Keurig Is Dying: Signs
You’ll be able to tell when your Keurig needs to be replaced by a few telltale signs.
Keurig Either Stops Brewing Coffee Or Takes Ages To Brew One Cup
When your coffee maker stops producing coffee, that is the most obvious sign that your Keurig is approaching the end of its useful life. Your coffee maker might either completely stop brewing or take longer than usual to brew a cup. Another thing to watch out for is if your Keurig seems to pause for a long time before continuing to brew.
Keurig Starts To Leak
Never let your Keurig leak, especially when brewing coffee. If you start to notice your Keurig is leaking coffee while brewing and continues to leak after the machine has been turned off, that’s an obvious sign of a Keurig problem.
Now, a leak by itself does not indicate that your Keurig is malfunctioning. Make sure the water reservoir is not overfilled and is positioned correctly in the base before you go shopping for a new Keurig. If that isn’t the problem, make sure the puncture needle isn’t blocked by a buildup of coffee residue. Your Keurig might need to be replaced if you have checked both of these things and the leak persists.
The Coffee Starts To Taste Bad
Your Keurig doesn’t need to be replaced after the first poor cup, much like a leak. If you notice your coffee is starting to taste worse than it should, it might be time to descale your machine. Descaling is the process of thoroughly cleaning your machine to get rid of mineral and limescale deposits. This buildup can affect the taste of your coffee, so if you notice a change in taste, your first step should be to use a descaling solution.
If you descale your appliance and the flavor still isn’t better, it might be time for a new machine.
Coffee Is Lukewarm Or Cold
It is not what you want in the morning to reach for your coffee and take a sip of something cold when you were hoping for something hot. A problem with the heating mechanisms inside the machine may be the cause of cold or lukewarm coffee. There isn’t much you can do to prevent your Keurig from breaking down if it starts having trouble heating water. The best option is to swap out the device.
You’ve Had It Longer Than You Can Remember
It might be time for a new Keurig machine if your old one has seen your child mature. If you’ve had yours for a while and it’s still performing as it should, that’s wonderful. But I do advise pausing for a second to carefully evaluate your Keurig. Verify that it is actually functioning as it should be and that you have not simply grown accustomed to it operating at a reduced capacity.
Is It Acceptable To Leave Your Keurig On Continuously?
Keurig coffee makers tend to come with an auto-off feature, this means that the coffee maker will shut itself down when you have not used it for a certain amount of time. Despite there being a provision to disable this feature, the manufacturer advises against doing so.
The reason why it is advised to keep the auto-off feature enabled is that the coffee maker could become a safety hazard if it is constantly enabled.
Additionally, it increases the amount of wear and tear on the coffee maker’s heating element, potentially shortening its lifespan. The auto-off feature can also save energy if left on.
Does Mold Grow On Keurig Coffee Makers?
While the typical Keurig brewer has all the modern conveniences, mold can grow on it.
In other words, if you don’t maintain your Keurig, mold might grow inside your coffee maker.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to prevent such problems, this includes emptying your water reservoir at the end of the day, running a regular cleaning cycle, and simply follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer in the manual.
Do Keurigs Crack Quickly?
Consumers frequently complain about their coffee maker failing too soon, and this is true for many different brands available today.
Similar reasoning can be applied to the Keurig brewer, whose antics have baffled a lot of coffee drinkers. But I’ve discovered that the majority of issues or damage that customers encounter can be avoided entirely!
The most typical illustration is a clogged machine. Of course, the primary offender in this situation is someone who neglected to clean their Keurig unit. Or perhaps they didn’t keep up with regular brewer maintenance?
Clogs and issues with the Keurig’s internal mechanics are, of course, caused in large part by other factors as well. Actually, hard water could just as easily be this coffee maker’s worst enemy!
Using water that has too many hard minerals in it directly in the Keurig could be disastrous. Additionally, it might give your coffee a little more of a chalky flavor than it should.
If you live in a hard water area, you should always use filtered water in your Keurig to avoid issues like this.
Fortunately, the affordable water filters that are readily available online make filtering water easier than ever. Once you have one, you can always have some filtered water available for your morning brew.
The Keurig coffee maker and I have never experienced any significant issues aside from that. If anything, mine has been operating smoothly for a sizable amount of time.
I typically include my machine in the weekly kitchen clean-up to make sure it stays maintained. In this manner, I can be certain that I thoroughly cleaned the device and that no issues are brewing inside.
Always take your brand-new machine back to the maker to get a replacement if you should ever experience an issue with it.
It would be crazy not to use this since you have a mechanical warranty that lasts for a year. Additionally, it guarantees that any potential flaw in the machine you purchased won’t reappear later.
Even the best products can occasionally suffer from manufacturing flaws, though this is uncommon.
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Extend The Life Of Your Keurig
Your Keurig will last longer if you take better care of it. Naturally, this entails routine cleaning and descaling, but there are a few additional steps you can take.
Use Filtered Water
There are numerous minerals and other impurities in tap water. If you use filtered or distilled water, your Keurig will last longer and your coffee will taste better.
After Each Use
With a Keurig, there aren’t many daily concerns you need to consider. One benefit of using a pod coffee maker is that. The only thing left to do is clean up any spills.
Flush The Machine As Needed
It doesn’t hurt to flush the machine after using any of the sweet K-cups, such as hot chocolate, to get rid of any leftovers. However, starting the machine without a k-cup is as easy as taking out the pod, placing a mug underneath, and pressing start.
You should flush the machine at least twice a month, even if you only use regular coffee pods. It only requires one minute.
When You Are Traveling
Never leave pods or water in your machine for longer than a day or two. Empty the water reservoir and remove the used pods from the machine if you intend to travel or won’t be using it for a few days. The risk of mold, mildew, or standing water is eliminated in this way. Additionally, it prevents the mineral deposits that the evaporating water would otherwise leave behind, necessitating more frequent descaling.
How To Clean A Keurig
Every one to two weeks should be sufficient for cleaning the removable parts of a Keurig, though doing so more frequently is not harmful. It is a quick and simple process. Even though most Keurigs can be disassembled using these steps, not all models will have all of these accessible components.
- Unplug your Keurig.
- Remove the drip tray, k-cup holder, lid, and water reservoir.
- With a wet sponge, clean the machine’s outside.
- Warm, soapy water should be used to thoroughly clean the drip tray and k-cup.
- Remove the water filter and use a wet, soapy cloth to clean the reservoir and lid.
- Thoroughly rinse the reservoir and lid, then allow everything to air dry.
- Plug the device back in after replacing the components.
How To Descale A Keurig
Regardless of your diligence, your machine will accumulate minerals. Most people only need to descale once a month, but if you use hard tap water, you may need to do so as frequently as every two to three weeks.
I suggest simply mixing white vinegar and water 50/50 for the majority of coffee makers. With your Keurig, you can do that, but according to the manufacturer, doing so can eventually cause internal components to deteriorate. However, it costs more than vinegar. They do have a descaling solution. Use the descaling solution to prolong the life of your machine, but I can certainly understand why some users would prefer the less expensive vinegar alternative.
In any case, these are the fundamental steps.
- White vinegar and water mixed 50/50 or descaling solution (diluted as directed on the container) should be used to fill the water reservoir to the fill line.
- Make sure there are no K-cups in the machine before setting a mug on the tray.
- begin the standard brewing cycle.
- Repeat step 3 until the add water indicator light turns on, then discard the liquid in the mug.
- Let the machine rest for 30 minutes
- Empty and thoroughly rinse the water reservoir.
- To remove any vinegar residue, fill the reservoir to the top with water (preferably filtered), and then run it through at least 12 cycles.
The Cause Of Keurig Machine Failure
Any coffee maker can break down for four main reasons: user error, defects, subpar maintenance, and regular wear and tear.
User Error And Damage
We’ve all dropped a delicate object or accidentally spilled water on electronics. That is one kind of user error, but there are many others.
Keurig water reservoirs are only intended to hold water, but users have experimented with everything from adding additives to the water to substituting milk for the water. Because of how Keurigs operate, this is bad for drip coffee makers but is much worse in this situation. They pressurize the water inside the machine, and since most liquids don’t like extra pressure, this frequently leads to buildup inside the machine or damaged pipes.
Manufacturing Defects
With most automatic coffee makers, manufacturing flaws are a big worry. Nothing is more annoying than having your coffee maker start to leak or stop working after only a few weeks of use.
Fortunately, Keurig provides a one-year limited warranty on all of their brewers. They appear to be fairly good about upholding that warranty as long as you don’t do anything crazy, like put milk in the water reservoir. They may do this by sending you replacement parts occasionally, or they may just replace your entire Keurig coffee maker.
Poor Maintenance
You must keep your Keurig in working order; I’ll go into more detail about this below. Cleaning, descaling, and not allowing water or soiled pods to sit in it for an extended period of time fall under this category.
Normal Wear And Tear
Your Keurig will still eventually fail even if you take good care of it, don’t knock it around, and maintain it properly.
Nothing endures without end. Plastics degrade, wires fray, and electronics occasionally stop working altogether. This is how your Keurig will likely operate, if you’re lucky. All machines eventually give in to the power of entropy, whether it takes them ten years or more than twenty.
Comparison To Other Brands
Though 3-5 years may not seem like much, they are on the high end for home coffee makers. According to Mr., Cuisinart coffee makers last between two and five years. Coffee makers typically last 2-3 years, and Ninja coffee makers are notoriously short-lived, only lasting 1-2 years.
Coffee makers from Black & Decker and Hamilton Beach can last longer than five years with the right maintenance and care, outlasting the majority of Keurig models in terms of lifespan. These machines have a disadvantage in that the ongoing expense of purchasing filters makes them more expensive over time. Although they end up costing less than filters and ground coffee because they serve both purposes, K-Cups are a regular expense as well.
Keurig coffee makers cost more because they are more convenient to use than conventional automatic coffee makers. Although Keurigs are more expensive than other brands, they last a little longer and provide a better brewing experience. Long-term time savings are offset by the higher price you pay.
Keurigs Vs. Manual Brewers
The Keurig will be easily outperformed in terms of cost, upkeep, and lifespan by manual brewers like a French press, Chemex, or Hario V60. They demand focus and effort to use properly, though, making them less convenient to use.
Whether you should use a manual brewer or a Keurig depends on whether you prefer speed and convenience over customization and cost. Choose a manual brewer if you enjoy tinkering and are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn how to use your tools properly. As opposed to purchasing a Keurig, you’ll spend less money and less time maintaining your tools.
A Keurig is the way to go if you want a hands-free brewing experience. A Keurig will cost more money, but you’ll spend less time brewing coffee each morning. You will still save time overall even though you will need to spend some of the time you save on coffee brewing on maintenance.
When To Replace Your Keurig
Take a machine audit after having your Keurig for about three years. It might be time to replace your Keurig if you notice it doing any of the aforementioned things.
Also, just because your Keurig is broken doesn’t mean you have to buy a new one. Keurig regularly releases new products with upgraded features. The only indication you need to change your current model might be if you see a new one that you think is cool.
FAQs
Is It Possible To Clean A Keurig With Apple Cider Vinegar?
You can clean a Keurig with other types of vinegar if you don’t have white vinegar on hand. In contrast to white vinegar, they will taste stronger. Your Keurig will need to go through even more water cycles if you clean it with a flavorful vinegar like apple cider vinegar. A cup of coffee won’t be enjoyable if that happens.
How Frequently Should A Keurig Be Replaced?
A set lifespan for Keurig coffee makers is not advertised. The majority of customers claim that replacing a Keurig after three to five years is a good rule of thumb, but ultimately it depends on whether or not your machine is still functional. The lifespan of your appliance can be extended by routine cleaning.
In 2014, I purchased a Keurig K-Classic coffee maker, and I still have it today in my kitchen. I think the main reason it’s lasted this long is that I descale my machine every four months, as if by clockwork. Furthermore, the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker is one of a small number of coffee makers I own, reducing the possibility of abuse.
How long you can keep your Keurig working with proper care will ultimately determine when you should replace it.
A Free Keurig Replacement: How Do I Get One?
As I mentioned, Keurig offers a one-year limited warranty on all their machines. If you discover any workmanship flaws within a year of the product’s purchase, this warranty will cover them.
It’s crucial to understand that if there is a problem, this warranty does not entitle you to a free Keurig. Instead of sending a replacement, Keurig might choose to fix your machine if they think it’s feasible. In addition, the replacement device might be refurbished as opposed to new.
If you just purchased a Keurig or it’s been less than one year since the purchase date, Keurig recommends visiting their website to register your machine in case any issues arise.
Final Words
Some of the most popular home coffee makers available right now are Keurig models. They can take a beating, make good coffee, and are simple to use. Many households use Keurigs to brew coffee every morning, and many workplaces use them to provide coffee to workers every day. Due to the fact that Keurig coffee makers are generally more expensive than other coffee makers, some people might be reluctant to buy one. Longevity is one of the most crucial factors in determining whether a Keurig is the right coffee maker for you.
Many thanks for reading
